aye, said he, nothing better, nothing better. Then with an exalted affection he received the sacrament, and afterwards offered up his most humble thanks for that most inestimable benefit, uttering to the same purpose many powerful and divine words, as one that had no longer any human thoughts about him. But afterward he applied himself again to the work in which he resolved to live and die, and that was, confirming his family in the ways of piety, more particularly directing this last sermon of his to his most beloved nieces, his two virgin disciples, that they should be stedfast and commit themselves to the guidance of their Lord God and Jesus Christ their Master.

53.

After midnight, having lain still a good while, he spake a little, and observing those about him, that they did not hear him, he said with a loud voice, What, doth my speech fail? O sweet Jesus, let it not fail me to the last, I beseech Thee. Then being asked if the divines should be called (who not long before had been gone out of his chamber, supposing him asleep), he said, Entreat them to come and pray together. When they came in, he desired them to say that prayer for a dying man; which ended and they inquiring how he did? he said, Pretty well, I thank my God and you, and I shall be better. Then he lay very still about half an hour, all standing about his bed, supposing him to be in a fine slumber, but he on a sudden casting his hands out of bed with great strength, looking up and round about him with a strong and cheerful

The

voice said, Oh! what a blessed change is here! What a change is here! What do I see! O let us come and sing and praise the Lord and magnify His Name together. I have been at a great feast. O magnify the Lord with me. One of his nieces presently said, At a feast, dear father? Yea, replied he, at the Great King's feast, with a sound and perfect accent, as if he had ailed nothing. While all stood somewhat amazed and loth to interrupt him, if he should say more, he laid himself down quietly, and, putting his hands into the bed, he stretched them out by his side and closed his eyes. clergy went again to prayers, and after a while they said that prayer, all kneeling round about his bed, that God would be pleased to send His holy angels to carry his soul to heaven. Whilst these very words were saying, he opened his lips and gave one gasp, after which, not once moving or stirring hand or foot, he rendered his soul to be carried in their hands into the arms of the Lord Jesus. And at that instant the clock struck one', the hour that he constantly rose every morning to praise God and to pray unto Him:-that very hour God called him to His heavenly kingdom, to praise Him with an innumerable company of angels and with the spirits of just men made perfect. And, as one of the company said, he ended the Christian sabbath here upon earth to begin the everlasting one in heaven.

1 Monday, Dec. 4, 1637.

2 Heb. xii. 22, 23.

54. His body was kept till the Thursday after', during which time it never swelled nor purged at all, but was a fair corse and inoffensive; no doubt an effect of his extraordinary temperance. But one thing was very observable to all, that his right arm hand and fingers were as flexible and limber as those of a living man, and continued so at his putting into the coffin; whereas his other arm and the rest of his body was stiff and not to be bended as this was, which one might take and turn like a hand in which the blood circulated freely, to the wonder of many that saw it. But one that beheld and admired it was heard to say, Well may that hand not grow stiff, that was so liberal in giving alms continually to the poor and needy.

55. He was buried in a vault of brick at the west end of the church, before the entering into it, as he had appointed. His worthy friend and kinsman Mr. Robert Mapletoft, the late reverend dean of Ely, preached his funeral sermon and performed the office at his burial.

1 Dec. 7.

Rt. M. of Queen's B. A. 1628–9, M. A. 1632: of Pembroke, B. D. 1639, D. D. 1664. See above, 109.

56.

The Concordance of Mr. Ferrar's making.

The book was divided into a hundred and forty heads. He every day spent one hour in contriving it, and directed his nieces that attended him, in what manner they should cut the pieces out of the Evangelist, and so and so to lay them together as to make and perfect such a head or chapter. When they had first cut out those pieces with their knives or scissors, then they did neatly and exactly fit each verse that was so cut out to be pasted down on sheets of paper; and so artificially they performed it, that it looked like a new kind of printing to all that saw the books, when they were finished; so finely were all the pieces joined together, and with great presses for that purpose pressed down upon the white sheets of paper.

piece and title of the book was this:

The frontis

The actions &c. [as above, III, 112.]

But the work grew daily into greater perfection by the care and judgement of Mr. Ferrar; nay, the old gentlewoman herself became a handicraft-woman to help it forward.

57. The fame of this performance was so great, that the king in his progress, lying at Apethorp seven miles from Little Gidding, dispatched a gentleman, one of his servants, to entreat (which was the very word of that gracious prince) a sight of that concordance, which he heard was so great a rarity; promising to send it back again ere many

days passed, after he should have perused it. Mr. Ferrar being at that very time by an extraordinary necessity of business called up to London, the family consulted and concluded his majesty's plea sure ought to be readily obeyed, though they thought so mean a piece unworthy the sight of a king. The gentleman, apprehending some demur about the delivery of the book, protested, if he had it not then, he knew the king before he slept would send him again for it. So he carried it with him to court; but it was not a few days, but several months, before the same gentleman brought back the book from the king, who was pleased to send him with it on purpose from London to Gidding. He acquainted them at his coming, that he had many things in charge from the king his master to say to them: first, to give them his majesty's hearty thanks for lending him the book; then to signify his great goodliking of it, as of a thing that exceeded the report of it or his expectation; then to excuse him for returning it no sooner, and for apostyling' or writing his own remarks upon it in many places

1 From the Fr. Apostiller, to make a marginal note (see Mozin's Dict. Fr. Allem.) The form postill is more usual in English (Richardson and Todd's Johnson). Menage's derivation (posita, posta, postilla, or apposta, appostilla, ‘a small note written by the side-on the margin,') is much more pro bable than Vossius's post illa, 'comments written after the text.' "All which are apostilled in the margin with the king's own hand."-Laud's Troubles and Tryal, 524. The substantive apostills occurs ibid. 525.